Buzzelli Foods is new to the Traverse City foodie scene. “I think the first week I came in every day because I was trying something new,” said John Fiorelli, who lives in Traverse City. But owner Kathy Gibbons and making mozzarella go way back to 2007. “I learned to make it from an Italian deli on Arthur Avenue in New York, it’s like the real Little Italy,” she said.

Kathy is retired now, so it’s turned more into a passion project. “See these lumps, see how there is texture in there, you’re trying to get rid of all that, make it smooth and glistening,” she explained. “My personal favorite are the mozzarella knots, and I put that on everything, my eggs, my soup, my salad, bread, it’s like a condiment to me,” said John.